I woke up to the birds chirping outside my window, the gentle rays of the sun falling onto my face.
I hadn't slept so well since coming to this place, but now I had to wake up and get ready for the day ahead.
I freshen up and step out of the room, the scent of something delicious wafting from the kitchen.
"Good morning!" I greet Kael and he greets me back while cooking.
I set the table while he cooks, and together we enjoy a peaceful morning meal.
"Are you ready?" he asks as I finish my breakfast, making me pause.
"Yeah" I say "are we leaving right now?"
"Yes," he answers.
I step out along with Kael for the first time since I came to this house.
I don't know what I expected but it really wasn't any different from a normal human tribe.
Similar mud and stone houses were scattered a short distance from Kael's home. They were slightly smaller but still sturdy-looking, with small garden patches filled with a variety of plants and trees.
We kept walking as members of Kael's tribe openly gawked at us. I was gawking at them too, a lot of them had strange animal ears sticking out of their heads and some even had tails, swinging behind them.
Reality hadn't truly hit me until that moment—seeing all these shapeshifters made me realize that Kael had been telling the truth.
I did believe him when he told me but it didn't fully sink in until this moment.
After walking for about 20 minutes, we reached a large building where a few older-looking men stood outside, their gazes fixed on me.
It felt like they were assessing my very existence, calculating my worth, while I stood there, shifting uncomfortably.
"Shall we head inside?" Said Kael and all the other men nodded before turning and going into the building.
Kael took my hand and led me inside, guiding me to a grand hall with a large table at its center.
He took his place at the head of the table after guiding me to the chair on his left, while the others settled into their seats.
A group of younger men entered the room and I realised that they were the same people that I had met that night in the cave along with Kael.
A few of them waved at me while some of them smirked.
Once everyone was seated, the meeting finally began, with Kael introducing me to everyone—and them to me.
"Elara will stay with me for as long as required" he declared before everybody.
The older men protested immediately, while the younger once seemed slightly displeased.
One of the older men who I was introduced as Gilser spoke up.
"What does that even mean, my lord?" he asked his eyes scrutinizing both me and Kael. "In line with the prophecy, you must take the pure breed as your mate!" he hissed.
What? Mate?
I gasped, my head snapping towards Kael in shock and doubt. His face morphed into that of rage with his burning gaze fixed on the elder.
"I said, this will not be brought up until I say so!" Kael gritted through his teeth.
"This meeting was only for her to familiarize herself with the members of the colony" he said, his tone harsh.
A wave of whispered protests filled the room before I spoke up.
"What are you talking about? What mate? Which prophecy?" I ask my tone demanding.
Gilser turned to me before answering, "you might not be familiar with the ways of this world young one, but there is a prophecy in our world that a pure breed human will appear in this world and whichever shapeshifter she lays with will be unstoppable and so will their offspring" he says, his expression unreadable.
"That is enough!" Kael yells, slamming his fist into the table, cracking it.
I flinched and the loud crack, and silence fell over the whole hall.
"I know what is best for me, and I do keep in mind the prosperity of this colony!" He said sternly.
Glancing over at me, his gaze softened.
"I do not want anyone dictating who my mate will be or imposing their unwanted opinions onto me or Elara," he finishes before getting up, stretching his arm toward me. I take it, and we leave for his house.
"I am sorry" he says as we enter through the front door with his head hung low.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask my voice low but accusatory.
"Why did you leave out that part about being your mate? I could have at least been prepared!" I question him my voice higher this time.
"I warned them not to bring this up before you, but they did it anyway! I didn't want to overwhelm you or freak you out with all that 'mate' talk Elara" he said sighing with his hand over his head.
"Well, I am now" I say.
He winces at that.
"That was just a stupid prophecy Elara, I do not care for it and neither should you, especially when you want to leave as soon as you can find your way back" he says.
I sigh. Even after all the things he leaves out, I can see that he does it to help me take in his world without overwhelming me. But all this new information only frustrates me, making me feel helpless against everything happening around me.
"Can I meet your people?" I ask Kael.
His eyes widen with shock. "What?" He asks.
"I said 'can I meet your people'" I repeat, amused by his reaction.
He gapes at me with wide eyes before he answers me.
"Yeah.... Yeah. But why?" He asks.
I am now grinning at him.
"I just want to meet other people and explore your world" I say, hands behind my back and toothy grin plastered on my face.
Kael's face breaks into a wolfish grin before he bursts into a fit of laughter.
"Let's go, I will introduce you to the others" he says, his voice tender.